i The crack of the whip sounded sharply in the room, the sound bouncing off stone walls that were cold and impassive, much like his face. She could feel the sudden sting of the tip - cutting into her back, then the sound of the whip again, a soft shooshing noise - and then the agony on her back and shoulders as the leather cut into her skin like a knife. /i
She slowly opened her eyes, almost afraid to look around, and sighed in relief when the familiar sight of her bedroom greeted her.
Slipping from beneath the covers she sat up, legs swinging off the edge of the bed and dangling - toes brushing the chilled floor. She stretched, old, fading bruises making the movement stiff and slow, and then she stood up. The cold seemed to soak into her feet, and she hurried to get dressed, and then start the fire. i Running low on wood. /i
She was soon outside, hatchet in hand, breath coming in small puffs from her mouth as she chopped small blocks of wood into manageable pieces, small enough for her fireplace. Her arm raised above her, and the blade came down, the sharp crack of the splintering wood sending echoes through the stillness that surrounded her house. The forest surrounded her, and her eyes and ears were ever alert for any change that would alert her someone was coming. Not plottable, no one was able to apparate to and from - and not connected to the Floo network. Alone - the way she liked it now.
She buried the hatchet blade in the stump of a tree and collected the mounds of wood she had managed to chop, stacking it piece by piece in the woodshed. Never on the porch. The cold kept the snakes at bay, but they liked the safety and relative warmth the piles of wood provided. She hated snakes now.
She walked back into the house i her house - not theirs anymore /i and placed a few logs into the small fire, and soon the flames were once again high, and the room was warm. She made a cup of tea, and sat down in the chair, eyes looking out the window as the fire tried to warm the coldness that seeped into her bones.
Hours passed, her tea growing cold in its cup - forgotten on the table next to her. Eyes lost in the scene outside - eyes not really seeing, but remembering.
i "He isn't coming back, is he?"
The raven haired man had shaken his head sadly and embraced her, the gesture both ackward and familiar, and then released her with a sigh.
"I think - I think I need to be alone."
He had nodded and left the room, not saying a word, because somehow he knew there wasn't anything to say.
She had sunk to the ground and sobbed when the door had shut behind him, shedding the first and only tears she had allowed herself to cry for him. The man who had died, it seemed, to protect her - to save her life. /i
She focused her eyes on the scene outside - to the thick, heavy flakes that had just began to fall. She got up slowly from the chair, stocking feet padding on the floor, her thin, willowy form bending to add yet another log to the fire.
A sharp crack on the door caused her body to tense, and she twirled around, her hand automatically pulling her wand from the pocket of her pants.
She stood up, hand trembling slightly, and went to the door. She opened it, and pointed her wand at the person on the other side of the threshold. Wind swirled the snow inside, making the flames flicker and snap at the moistness.
They stepped from the darkness and into the room, fat drops of snow melting on their hair as the heat from the room reached them.
She let her hand fall and gaped at him - this guant frame, this scarred and lonely face. "Remus?"
He enveloped her then, in his arms that were lean and strong, and she pressed her face against his neck, inhaling the scent that was always him. Tea and chocolate and something deeper, richer, earthier.
"Severus said you weren't coming back - they all said you died." Her voice cracked slightly and she closed her eyes tightly, willing this to be real and not another breakdown.
Remus smiled then, and pulled away so he could look into her eyes. "Not dead, just lost. I promised you forever Tonks, and I fought like hell not to break that promise to you."
She pulled him back into a hug, her eyes misting slightly, and shivered when he let his lips brush softly against her neck. "I missed you so much." Her voice was strained, and she ran her hands on his back, as if to reassure herself that he was really there.
He sighed and cupped her chin in his hand, tilting her head back just enough so he could claim her lips with his own. The kiss was tender at first, and as she responded with a soft moan, it grew more passionate. He ran his hands over her body, as if trying to memorize the woman that he held in his arms. She murmured into his lips, her words barely audible. "I love you Remus."
He finally released her lips and grinned at her, running a finger gently on her jawline as he spoke. "I love you, Tonks. Very much." He pulled her back into an embrace, lips caressing every bare inch of skin they could find, making her faint with wanting him. He swept her up suddenly, cradling her close to him, and began to walk into the bedroom with her.
A soft laugh escaped the lips he had kissed so throughly, and she winked at him. "I don't know where you've been, or if you're really even here - but if this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up."
His own laughter joined with hers as he crossed the threshold of their bedroom. "Not a dream, and later I'll tell you what happened. For now, I just want to remind you how much I missed you."